


Everything

by TheKinkAwakens (thekinkawakens)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anakin Skywalker is Not a Jedi, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-05-11
Packaged: 2019-04-28 19:33:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14456253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekinkawakens/pseuds/TheKinkAwakens
Summary: Denied the opportunity to become a Jedi Knight, Anakin becomes the greatest general Naboo has ever seen. The one thing he is missing in life is his soulmate.





	Everything

**Author's Note:**

  * For [evaagna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/evaagna/gifts).



> Now that this is unveiled I just wanted to give a shoutout to evaagna for the great request prompts. There were so many great ideas to go off of! This actually started out as an arranged marriage au, then somehow transformed into a soulmate au. It was really fun to write!

Anakin bristled as the representatives of the Jedi Council entered the Naboo throne room. As a Knight of the court, he was supposed to keep his opinion of foreign dignitaries to himself. However, as a hero of the Battle of Coruscant, and the destroyer of General Grievous, Anakin was allowed more leeway. 

Mace Windu’s dark eyes almost caught his. He turned his attention back onto Queen Jamillia and Senator Padmé . He didn’t want it to seem like he cared about what the Jedi Council thought of him. 

The Council’s decision had been as final as it was damning, Anakin was too old and too volatile to become a Jedi. They’d have sent him back into slavery if Queen Padmé hadn’t come to his rescue, offering him a place in Naboo’s esteemed squire program. 

As the Galactic Senate dissolved, Queen Jamillia and Senator Padmé had taken the Delegation of 2,000 and created the True Republic, the only force in the galaxy able to stand against Palpatine’s Galactic Empire. And through all of it, Anakin had been at their side. He had become Naboo’s greatest warrior and their top general. 

He took a moment to remind himself that he was an accomplished warrior and leader. Respected. He had no reason to feel his throat dry just because an order of robed figures had entered the courtroom. He had no reason to fear the last of the Jedi. 

Anakin kept every expression off his face as he listened to them begin to plead their case.

“As you know, Palpatine has been working to dissolve the Jedi order. We are constantly under attack. We recently only narrowly avoided a planned slaughter of our younglings. Our temples have been destroyed, we have nowhere for our weakest to seek refuge,” Mace said. 

And who was to blame for that, Anakin wondered. The Jedi had been unwilling to turn against the senate until it was too late. Order 66 was spreading throughout the galaxy. The Jedi were being hunted by those Palpatine had turned to the dark side in his search for a true apprentice. Anakin heard he’d managed to turn dozens of padawans to his side, making them compete to become his heir.

“And what do you ask of us? Our resources are already spread too thin. We can barely protect those who’ve been loyal to us from the beginning. Why should the True Republic prioritize the Jedi?” Councilwoman Mira asked. Approaching a hundred, Mira was second only to the Queen and Padmé in the Naboo court.

“We’re not asking for the protection of the True Republic. We’re asking for sanctuary on Naboo. We come to you today to invoke one of the old decrees of Naboo,” Mace said. His comment sparked a wave of muttering to spread through the courtroom. 

“Which of the old ways?” the Queen asked. 

“The law of Miadiya,” Mace said. Anakin watched Mira for her reaction. The old ways of Naboo had fallen as the planet turned its attentions to galactic matters, but there were those in the court who would never fully abandon the planet’s old traditions.

Mira’s brows were furrowed as she shook her head. “The law of Miadiya refers to alliances formed through the bonding of two souls. For the law to be met both Naboo and your people would have to have a high ranking leader with matching soul marks. And I have always been told that Jedi do not have soul marks,” she said.

Anakin barely resisted the urge to rub his arm where his own soulmark was. He felt Padmé ’s knowing eyes on him.

“The soul marks of Jedi are repressed, blocked by the force. But they exist,” Mace said. “And we believe we have a situation that meets the requirements of the law.”

At his nod one of the Jedi stepped forward and removed his hood revealing chestnut brown hair that reached broad shoulders. 

Obi-Wan was as handsome as Anakin remembered. Anakin had been fascinated by him as a child. At the time he’d seemed like a hero from an old story. 

Anakin barely heard the old senator ask who the soulbond was between. Obi-Wan’s eyes had met his own, and without looking down he knew his arm was glowing.  
\--  
Padmé found him wandering one of the gardens. The council meeting had broken out into chaos after Queen Jamillia had demanded three days to consider the conditions of the refugee request. Anakin hadn’t stayed around for the start of the negotiations. 

Padmé had given him an hour. He didn’t pretend she couldn’t have found him immediately if she’d wished to. She made eye contact as she sat down on a bench and he had little choice but to sit next to her. What had began as a childish crush had turned into the closest bond he had. Padmé was his mentor, his dearest friend, and closest ally.

“Tell me Ani, what are you thinking,” she asked, placing an arm casually around his shoulder.

“I would have been happy to have never seen a Jedi again. For so long their rejection motivated me, pushed me to prove that they were wrong. When I became a general I felt like I had at last moved on, but it seems I can’t escape them,” he said. 

Padmé nodded. “I know your feelings about the Jedi have always been complex, Obi-Wan in particular,” she said. “I can’t imagine how you must be feeling.”

“I don’t know how to feel,” Anakin said. “I spent so long waiting to meet my soulmate. To think it was another thing the Jedi council had a hand in denying me,” Anakin stopped. 

Padmé sat in silence with him. 

“Well you have three days to figure out how you feel. You know we’d never make you accept this proposal. It is a clever one, but there are other ways to form an allegiance,” Padmé said.

“I know,” Anakin said.

“Take your time with this one Ani, you’ve done more for Naboo than we could ever have asked already. Figure out how you feel before agreeing to anything.”

\---

A day passed. No one had ever accused Anakin of being emotionally aware or mature. He was usually the last to know when he was angry. Emotions were always things that happened to him rather than things he could control. He usually turned to others for guidance on how to feel and how to express those feelings. 

Padmé wasn’t going to tell him how he was feeling about this though. He had to figure it out on his own.

By the end of the first day he had decided that he didn’t hate Obi-Wan for leaving him. 

Anakin now knew that Obi-Wan had been too young to challenge the Jedi Council and win. While a small part of him would always be the nine year old boy who’d wanted nothing more than to be saved by a handsome knight and become a padawan, he was an adult now. He knew life wasn’t simply a matter of wanting. 

He thought he might be able to hate Obi-Wan for hiding the bond from him though. 

At the start of the second day Obi-Wan found him hiding in another set of gardens . Anakin wasn’t sure if it was the force, or Padmé ’s meddling. 

“Greetings Anakin, I was hoping I could talk with you. I know there is a lot we must discuss,” Obi-Wan said.

Anakin nodded, but didn’t say anything in return. Padmé would say he was sulking. Anakin thought he was being appropriately stoic. 

They walked through the garden in silence. Obi-Wan kept a respectful distance. Anakin’s arm still burned slightly, but they weren’t in any danger of completing the bond as long as their skin didn’t touch. 

As they walked beneath a low hanging arch of leaves Anakin pushed them up with a touch of the force. He told himself he wasn’t showing off, but Obi-Wan nonetheless made an appreciative noise.

“You know, I saw you fight on Coruscant, briefly. I’ve never seen such mastery of the force outside of Jedi,” Obi-Wan said. 

“There are others in the galaxy who use the force, Padmé made sure I had good teachers,” Anakin said. “The Court of Naboo has always provided well for me.”

What was left unsaid sat thickly between them. 

“Anakin, I don’t imagine you’ll believe me. But I wouldn’t have allowed them to send you back to Tatooine,” Obi-Wan said softly. 

“Really, would you have run away with me?” Anakin asked. 

“I believe I might have still convinced them. If not, I’d have found another way. Both for you, and to honor Master Qui-Gon Jinn’s request. However, I can see now that Naboo was the better choice for you,” he said. 

“Why? Because I’m still too emotional?” Anakin asked. He kept back ‘because you didn’t want me’ though it was difficult. 

“No, because they accept you here. You’ve been able to become a happy and adjusted man because of your spirited nature, not despite it,” Obi-Wan said. 

“I don’t think I would have been a good Jedi anyways,” Anakin said, going for flippant. He wanted to wince at the tone his voice actually took. He sounded like he was begging for compliments. 

Obi-Wan delivered. “You would have been a great Jedi. I’ve never felt a more powerful connection to the force, and your skills on the battlefield are undeniable. It is truly our loss,” he said. “Perhaps if you had been on our side we wouldn’t have lost as many Jedi as we have.”

“I am sorry for your loss,” Anakin said. It was the truth. He resented the order, he blamed it for its unwillingess to join them, but the slaughter of Jedi was something he’d have prevented if he could. 

“Thank you,” Obi-Wan said. “And I am sorry for putting you in this position. I know it must feel like I’m using you, using our bond. And I suppose I am. But I hope you know that I hold you in the highest esteem.”

“I don’t know how I feel about being used, but I understand doing whatever it takes to protect those you love,” Anakin said. 

“I hope you’ll consider our proposal then. I promise to not take further advantage of you. And of course, I wouldn’t expect anything from you once we’re bonded,” Obi-Wan said. 

Anakin paused, furrowing his brow. “What do mean?” 

“I saw you with Padmé the other day. I can see where you affections lay. Recognizing our bond would just be a formality,” Obi-Wan said. 

Anakin took a step back. It wasn’t a surprising statement, and yet. It felt like being told he was too old to be a Jedi. It felt like knowing he was going to be sent back to Tatooine. Anakin took in a shallow breath, feeling the force swell within him. Where he’d been numb, anger was now flowing freely. 

“I see,” was all he said. “I promise I will give the bond request all of the consideration it deserves.”

\---  
Anakin slammed Padmé ’s door shut with more force than he meant to. She looked up from her desk and gave him a once-over.

“And there’s the Ani that I know. I was concerned about how calmly you’ve been taking this,” Padmé said.

“The entire Jedi Order is filled with pretentious nerf herders who think they know and are above everything. If we give them sanctuary they are staying with the Gungan,” Anakin said.

“I take it you’ve finally talked to Obi-Wan then,” Padmé said.

“He had the nerve to say he wasn’t ‘expecting anything’ from our bond. He probably thinks he’s too good to be my soulmate. He actually implied that he was doing me a favor because he thinks you and I are together,” he said.

“Ani, everyone has always thought that- mis-matched soulmarks aside. The court still has multiple announcements prepared to announce our engagement just in case. Perhaps he really was trying to reassure you,” she said.

Anakin ignored her completely. “And what does he think he could even expect of me? He has no idea what I want from the bond,” Anakin said. 

“And what do you want from the bond, Ani?” Padmé asked. 

“Nothing, I want nothing from the bond,” he said. 

They both knew he was lying. Padmé just shook her head. “You have one more day to think things through. Give it time Ani.”

\--  
Anakin had always been able to the feel force that rested in the soulmark on his arm. It wasn’t as dark as most, shining a light silver. Padmé said she could see her dark blue swirls, but that she wasn’t aware of them beyond that. Anakin’s felt like a path. When he was young he was sure that if he focused on them hard enough he would be able to see where they lead. However, no matter what he tried, something was always in the way. A wall in the path, or door that wouldn’t open.

He complained about it to Padmé at length when he entered his teen years and soulmates became the thing that everyone focused on.

“You’ll meet them when you meet them Ani, there’s no need to try and push it. Even the force can only do so much,” Padmé said.

Anakin had agreed, but he couldn’t stop. He had Padmé , but he’d never had someone all his own. Somewhere out there was someone who was his other half, who would love and accept him unconditionally. Anakin wouldn’t be complete until he met them.

\---  
Of course Obi-Wan found him again later than night, this time at the waterfalls. Anakin didn’t usually spend as much time in nature, but there were dozens of senators and council members he was hiding from.

Obi-Wan was frowning when he saw him. “I’m sorry, I sense that I upset you earlier, but I’m not sure how.”

Anakin wanted to dismiss the apology. Instead he found himself asking the one question he’d had since he laid eyes on Obi-Wan in the council room. “Did you know we were soulmates when we first met?”

“Padawans are taught from a young age to suppress their symbols and block the connection to them. I was immediately drawn to you, but I didn’t know why. It was Master Yoda who first acknowledged our bond, when he cautioned me against taking you as my padawan” Obi-Wan said. 

So he’d known for years. “If circumstances were different, would I have ever known you were my soulmate?” Anakin asked. 

“I think if our paths had crossed again you’d likely have known,” Obi-Wan said. He said nothing about what he’d have done if Anakin knew. If he’d have done anything at all. 

The Jedi didn’t have soulbonds. If Anakin had become one he might have grown to accept that. But to know that he’d spend his life waiting for someone who would have left him always waiting felt like a wound.

Anakin turned to ask another question, but as he moved he sensed someone approaching through the foliage. He turned so his motion would be hidden and reached for his sword. Obi-Wan’s hands went to his own.

The assailant was a once-Jedi, their saber shone red as they leapt from the bushes and brought their weapon down on where Obi-Wan’s neck had been. 

They were strong and fast, but Obi-Wan was quicker, he ignited his lightsaber and pushed back against the assailant. Their sabers flashed as they clashed against each other. The attacker was quicker, but Obi-Wan’s form was excellent, impenetrable. It was almost an even match, but given time Obi-Wan would win it.

Anakin had no urge to stand and watch though. He pulled out his hand and focused on the red lightsaber. It was loyal to its owner, but Anakin had enough raw power to overcome that bond and pull the weapon into his hand, disarming the attacker. Both they and Obi-Wan seemed to be caught off-guard by the act.

It took only a second before the attacker regrouped and disappeared as quickly as he arrived. Obi-Wan made to chase after him but Anakin shook his head. “Don’t bother, I already informed the guard. They’re waiting for him at his ship now. Without his weapon they’ll easily be able to detain him.”

Anakin idly fiddled with the saber in his hand. It wasn’t the first time he’d held one. He’d disarmed enough force-using opponents on the field. Still, he was aware of Obi-Wan’s curious stare. 

“I should be going. I oversee the guard’s interrogations,” Anakin said. He wanted to leave. He found he was hesitant to go though. The force was strong within him in that moment, it made him feel bolder, intoxicated. It was pushing him towards some unknown goal. 

“Before you go, you were about to say something when we were attacked, what was it?” Obi-Wan asked. 

“I wanted to know, if I’d have noticed our bond what you would have done,” Anakin said, feeling reckless.

“What would you have wanted?” Obi-Wan asked, his eyes searching. 

Anakin opened his mouth to say nothing. “Everything,” he confessed with a shrug as he turned to go.  
\---  
Despite Padmé ’s advice to take his time, Anakin had always known that he would agree to the terms laid out by the court. 

He didn’t bother looking over the terms of the refugee agreement. Padmé had summarized them and told him what his role would be: one touch to cement the bond. 

He hadn’t seen Obi-Wan at all during the third day. There had been an investigation into how the assailant had broken through the protective barriers of the planet. It had given Anakin an excuse to be too busy to visit any public gardens or places Jedi had access to. He’d sent his agreement to the bond through a letter to the court late in the night. It was almost an afterthought. Fate would never have allowed anything else. 

Obi-Wan had already taken his place on the altar by the time Anakin arrived. 

The priestess spoke the traditional words of eternity, love, and connection. Each one felt like a small sting against his skin. When the time to bond came he took off the glove of his remaining organic arm and reached out his hand. 

Obi-Wan’s hand didn’t meet his own. Instead there was a soft pressure against his chin, a brush of the force, before lips touched his own. 

He noticed that Obi-Wan’s beard was surprisingly soft against his face before he realized they were kissing. The light shining from their arms was almost blinding when combined. Anakin was too shocked to jerk back in surprise until after Obi-Wan was already moving away.

The court politely applauded. No one else seemed surprise by the display. Anakin even glanced at Mace who looked more amused and annoyed than anything. Obi-Wan stepped back and turned to where the papers were, placing his signature on them. Padmé came up and signed for Naboo, her expression far too pleased. 

The ceremony lasted for another hour as the agreement was read in its entirety. And then Anakin was lead away by a group of senators who wanted to hear more about the increased defense measures Anakin had submitted because of the attack. His head felt light as he went over them, still uncertain about what had just happened. 

Obi-Wan found Anakin in his actual room that night. It solved the dilemma Anakin was having over whether or not it would be too obvious and needy of him to go wander the gardens again. 

This time, Obi-Wan began with a question. “Do you know why Jedi don’t bond with their soulmates?”

“No,” Anakin said. “Like everyone else I’d always been told they just don’t have them. Though I wondered what it meant that I was force sensitive and did.”

“Jedi have a different connection to soulmates. For most it’s just a connection, a closeness that the force facilitates. For Jedi though, our connection to the force complicates it. We are only ever connected to others who are force-sensitive. We can bond in through touch. But inevitably, with time and proximity the bond goes deeper. The term soulmates actually come from these types of bonds. True soul bonds,” Obi-Wan said.

Anakin felt the truth in his words. Already he could feel the need to go deeper with their bond. The path finally felt free to travel, but it had become overwhelming in its vastness. “Surely, having a deeper bond isn’t a bad thing,” he said. 

Obi-Wan met his eyes. “That depends on who you ask. Some say it is the most powerful thing available to mortals. However, it has a cost. Linking souls in that manner is permanent. And there are tales of Jedi who died as soon as their soulmate did, their souls too attached to survive without the other.”

Anakin supposed that was supposed to scare him. But all he felt was a deep longing. Obi-Wan sighed, and Anakin knew suddenly that Obi-Wan could feel his reaction. He was aware of Obi-Wan’s own wariness, and underneath it hope and longing. 

“You were upset when you realized I wouldn’t have told you about our bond. You thought I was selfish for keeping it from you. I had alway considered it selfish to tell you. To make you chose something so impossible, and to ask you to risk your life in such a way just because I was drawn to you,” Obi-Wan paused when Anakin reached out and laid his hand upon his arm, causing them both to shine. 

“All of that is in the past, what do you want now?” Anakin asked, though he knew the answer, could feel the truth of it through their growing connection.

“Everything,” Obi-Wan admitted and Anakin leaned in to kiss him, giving him exactly that.

**Author's Note:**

> Confession: Writing this made me realize what an incredibly fake fan I am when it comes to the prequel-era. Trying to figure out an alternative timeline would have been easier if I knew the actual one. I'm sorry if there's any glaring errors.


End file.
